It is important to render bicycles lightweight to ensure reduced running resistance and greater ease of handling. It is therefore required to provide a saddle having a reduced weight but retaining the desired strength by using parts of improved quality and construction. Accordingly the saddle mount shown in FIG. 7 for mounting the saddle on the frame has been introduced into use in place of the mount shown in FIG. 6.
The mount shown in FIG. 6 includes a seat pillar 2a extending from the seat tube 11 of a frame 1 and having a horizontal upper end 21 to which a loop clip 3 on the saddle is fitted and fastened. With the mount shown in FIG. 7, a loop clip 3 on the saddle is fitted and fastened to a small-diameter portion 22 at the upper end of a seat pillar 2b.
Seemingly the latter seat pillar is lighter than the former by an amount corresponding to the weight of the horizontal portion 2a of the former, but the small-diameter portion 22 of the latter, even when designed to have the smallest possible diameter and wall thickness required for the desired strength, necessitates a seat pillar which is larger than is desirable. Thus the overall weight involved will not be in any way smaller.
Accordingly it has been proposed to support the saddle on a seat pillar 2 in the form of a straight pipe of uniform wall thickness and having the desired strength by a loop clip 3 fitting around and tightly fastened to the pillar 2 as seen in FIG. 8. Although fully useful under usual conditions, the seat pillar 2 still involves problems when used under severe racing conditions as in bicycle moto cross in which riders must drive the bicycle over various obstacles on the track to compete in cycling techniques and time. Stated more specifically, the moment when the bicycle with the rider thereon strikes the ground after jumping over a sloping obstacle, an impact acts on the saddle which is merely fastened to the straight seat pillar 2 by the loop clip 3 fitting therearound, possibly causing the clip 3 to slide on the seat pillar 2 and permitting the top end of the pillar to damage the saddle top 4 or forcing the rider's body directly against the seat pillar 2. Thus the proposed saddle assembly is not usable with safety.